Top 20 Memorable Moments

NEW CARLISLE - The past 20 years of Wiffle®Ball in New Carlisle have been filled with stories. To celebrate our 20th anniversary, Hometown Days will be counting down the Top 20 Memorable Moments in Championship history.

The countdown starts July 1 and a new moment will be posted daily.

Moment 7: Panthers Break Through

July 28, 2019

In three of the previous four years at The Wiffle®Ball Championship, the Granger Panthers were eliminated by the New Carlisle Newts in the Hometown Cup Playoffs.

In 2019, the script finally flipped. The Panthers out-slugged the defending champions in their own backyard, 32-26, avenging the previous year’s Wiffle®Ball Championship Game loss at Migley Field. 

With the wind howling out, the Granger lineup of Griffin Smith, Seth Campbell, Alex Zarazee, and Austin Williams was relentless, putting up double digits in multiple innings. It was the highest scoring game in Hometown Cup Finals history, beating out the 2008 title game.

The Panthers scored 12 in the first inning, but the Newts continued to battle back throughout the game. New Carlisle eventually took the lead, 18-16, in the fourth. However, the Panthers roared right back with another 13 runs in the bottom of the frame to take a lead they would not relinquish.

Moment 8: J is for Jelly

July 31, 2016

Without question, the most shocking - and frankly, bizarre - upset in the history of The Championship came in the second round of the 2016 Hometown Cup Playoffs. The three-time reigning Champions of Wiffle®Ball, Cult West Warriors, faced off against the little-known Jelly Sticks out of Portage, Indiana.

The Warriors had earned a bye, going 4-0 on Saturday with an average margin of victory of 18 runs per game. The Jelly Sticks stunned the wiffleball world, snapping Cult West’s winning streak at 29 games.

The Jelly Sticks would promptly bow out in the Sweet Sixteen against the Hudson Lake Heat, and returned to New Carlisle only once - an 0-4 showing in the 2018 Championship.

Ultimately, the Warriors got the last laugh, winning their record fourth Hometown Cup in the year following the memorable upset - cementing their legacy as the greatest team of The Championship’s first 20 years.

Moment 9: We Built Tent City

July 30, 2016

The roars from The Palace of Bourissa Hills on Saturday of The Championship have been likened to those from the back nine at Augusta National.

While marquee matchups have been scheduled for The Palace since it was added to the tournament mix in 2012, it was the really 2016 Championship when Tent City was put on the map.

Jimmy Tumpane arranged for a shuttle bus to bring in a bachelor party and four teams -named Bob's Bach 1, 2, 3, and 4 - competed in the Championship. From the first morning game at The Palace between the Magic and Jellysticks, the fence was lined with spectators cheering every single play all day.

In honor of the doubleheader pick-up games at The Palace that started our wiffleball tradition, we're adding in a second moment to highlight the mystique of Tent City. When Woo Crew and Maple City Purple met in 2019, there was plenty of noise coming from the corner of Ada and Meridian. 

Maple City built a 9-2 lead after four innings of play and were up 9-3 with two outs in the fifth.  And then that limousine-ridin', jet-flyin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin', son-of-a-gun Jimmy Tumpane began strutting around the field as the Woo Crew mounted their comeback. The Woo Crew scored four runs with two outs to cut the lead to 9-7 heading into the bottom of the fifth. 

In the bottom half, Maple City had a chance to pad their lead, but Jeff Spokas robbed a potential two-run homer to end the inning.  The Crew used that momentum to put up another four in the sixth to take an 11-9 advantage that they would not relinquish. As strains of Also sprach Zarathustra emanated from The Palace, “woo’s“ echoed throughout the complex as teams from other fields joined in on the celebration.

Moment 10: Matadorville

July 30, 2017

As Migley Field has grown into the destination every team in wiffleball dreams of reaching, The Championship has redefined the concept of a final four at a tournament. Advancing to the Hometown Cup Finals has become a major accomplishment in its own right. As a result, some of the most intense games of the weekend occur in the Elite Eight round with a trip to Wiffle®Ball’s Grandest Stage on the line.

There was no greater example of this than the 2017 matchup between Speedy’s Chickenheads and the Great Lakes Godfathers. All hell broke loose in the Olive Township Regional as Speedy’s upset Granger, while The Godfathers took out the second overall seed White Lightning.

The game marked the birth of Matadorville, as a huge crowd gathered outside NCBCA Field to see who would punch the final ticket to Migley. While most in attendance were pulling for Matador Smith and the Fathers, the crafty vets from Diamond Lake pulled it out. The game went eight innings with Speedy’s coming out on top, 3-2. 

Moment 11: Clutch Double Play

July 27, 2014

In a two-year span, the Clutch Players and New Carlisle Newts met in a tournament semifinal five different times, including splitting meetings at The Championship in 2014 and 2015. The best of the rivalry was the first meeting at the Hometown Cup Finals in 2014. The Clutch Players were making their second trip to Migley in just their second appearance at The Championship. On the other hand, the Newts found their home ballpark for the first time since 2008.

It was a back and forth battle throughout the game, with the Clutch Players taking a 10-9 lead in the bottom of the fourth. A severe thunderstorm rolled into Migleyville causing a brief rain delay during the Clutch rally. The stoppage didn’t slow them down as they built up a 15-9 lead.

The Newts battled back over the next two innings, cutting the deficit to just one in the sixth inning. With only one out and Garrett Curless and Koby Keck on the corners, Noah Shail hit a deep fly ball that almost gave the Newts the lead. The ball was caught at the fence by Tommy Sinkiewicz and as Curless was crossing home plate to tie up the game on a sacrifice fly, the throw from Sinkiewicz bounced up and hit his back foot for a double play to end it.

Moment 12: Dedicating Brandon Hora Field

July 28, 2012

While this memorable moment comes from the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Championship, it truly originated in the summer of 2007. In its first full season as home of the New Carlisle Newts, Migley Field came under attack from pranksters!

Totally unprovoked*, Migleyville residents Brandon and Tiffiany Hora invaded the ballpark overnight, placing a bed sheet with the spray-painted words "Jacobs Field: Home of the Indians!" over the marquee. A picture of the sign was then published in the Hometown Days issue of the New Carlisle News announcing the ballpark’s “new” name.

Wiffleball historians believe the prank was the start of the Curse of Chief Wahoo, a six-year run of postseason futility by the Newts that was finally broken in 2013. (Perhaps that exorcism played a role in a brief, November rain shower in Cleveland three years later.)

Brandon passed away on March 28, 2012 after a long battle with lung cancer. In the spirit of the prank from five years prior - renaming a field - The Championship named one of the tournament fields in his memory. Brandon’s brother, Tyler threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the 2012 Championship - and a huge contingent of “Team Hora” was on hand for the dedication of the new field name.

Brandon Hora Field started a new tradition of memorial fields at The Championship. There are now six memorial fields across the Wiffle Kingdom. Note: Brandon Hora Field will be moving to Field 9 beginning with the 2025 Championship.

*- There is no evidence that anybody associated with Migley Field took down the Indians flag that flew in the Hora's front yard and replaced it with a Cubs flag prior to the attack on Migley. Absolutely no evidence.

Moment 13: Cult West Dominates in the Cold

July 28, 2013

A high temperature of 63 degrees in New Carlisle is considered normal for mid-April or late-October, but that’s what the thermometer read on the last Sunday of July 2013. Fans at Migley Field were bundled up in blankets for the Hometown Cup Finals, which was a memorable final four for many reasons.

Playing under the name HabEAs Corpus to protest their playoff ban as Emery’s Army, the renegade squad from Rolling Prairie made their first (and only) Migley appearance in their long Championship history.  While the crowd was behind EA, Cult West’s dominance stole the show. 

After a barn-burner loss in the previous year’s Hometown Cup Finals (more on that in a few days), the Warriors ran through the 2013 playoffs like the Ultimate Warrior running down the ramp to the ring. The Sunday run was highlighted by a 21-2 victory over Yhung Dipset, avenging a pool play loss from Saturday.

With ace pitcher Jay Ryans wearing a stocking cap, Cult West breezed by the Magic, 19-7, and YTS, 23-9, en route to their first of three consecutive Cups.

Moment 14: Sieradzki Shifts the Derby Vibes

July 24, 2015

Another Home Run Derby entry on the list - Andy Sieradzki’s win in the 2015 Home Run Derby - was an absolute vibe shift for the Friday night festivities. 

Taking the lead from Major League Baseball’s switch to a bracket format - Hometown Days also scrapped the traditional “10 outs” per round for a single-elimination tournament of head-to-head match-ups. 

Sieradzki’s showing was perhaps the greatest single performance in the Derby’s history, belting 105 home runs - including the first round high score of 37. He knocked off Clutch Player teammates Scott Bartley and Zac Cook, who each had impressive showings, en route to the finals.

In total 471 home runs were hit by the 18 competitors, and Migleyville was buzzing the entire night. Since the 2015 Derby, participation in the event has exploded. Most recently, 46 hitters competed in last year’s Home Run Derby.

Moment 15: Seth Shail Walks it Off against Lou Brock

July 28, 2012

In 2035, when The Championship’s 30 for 30 series debuts, the story of the Muffs at the 2012 tournament will certainly be one of the first documentaries filmed.

“What if I told you two teams from the same pool would reach Migley, but it was another team that went 4-0 and won the division?” 

The Muffs defeated the Cult West Warriors and eventual champion Lou Brock on Saturday. The win over Lou Brock was an instant classic. The Muffs held the lead until a six-run fifth by Lou Brock. The Muffs roared back with three in the bottom of the sixth, capped by a Seth Shail walk-off homer.

Their pool play efforts were not rewarded. The boys in pink became one of the most excruciating examples of a 4-1 team, losing their first playoff game to the Maple City Magic - their third opponent of the weekend that would reach the Hometown Cup Finals.

Moment 16: Carl Coffee's Return

July 24, 2020

Hi Hello, WIFFLE Nation. 

Although the Championship is known for its humble beginning as a small, local event, there has been a national flavor to Hometown Days since its founding. Thanks to the Wiffle®Ball Network’s message board, the first tournament caught the attention of Carl Coffee - one of the most prominent figures in the national WIFFLE landscape over the past two decades. Among an extensive résumé, Coffee founded Wiffle in Southeast Michigan (WSEM), spearheaded the efforts to create the National Wiffle League Association (NWLA) Tournament, and has hosted an array of WIFFLE Podcasts over the years.

After persuading the change from a single-elimination format to double-elimination, Coffee took his Lugnuts team on a three-hour road trip to the inaugural tournament in 2005. The Lugnuts were an outlier to say the least - finding themselves on the giving and receiving ends of heckling throughout the day en route to a third-place finish.

In 2019, a third-place trophy, a coffee mug, at The Championship was created in Carl’s honor - the Carl Coffee Cup. While Coffee remained connected online with The Championship and ORWBL through the years, he did not return until the 2020 tournament to a much warmer welcome. Carl's team, the Sex Penguins, went 1-3 and failed to make the playoffs. However, he stuck around all weekend and was on hand to present the Carl Coffee Cup to the Newts at Migley Field after the Hometown Cup Finals.

Now after 20 years, the Lugnuts name will be revived as Coffee will make another trip to New Carlisle this July.

The Carl Coffee Cups:

2019 - Carl Winslow (90's theme)

2020 - Karl Malone getting blocked by Michael Jordan (in honor of The Last Dance)

2021 - Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed

2022 - Carl Sagan

2023 - Carl Fredricksen from "Up" (Disney theme)

2024 - Carl Lewis (80's theme)

2025 - Lansing Lugnuts (celebrating the return of the Lugnuts)

Moment 17: The Magic Homers of Jonkman

2017-2022

While not an individual moment, Jared Jonkman’s six-year reign from 2017 through 2022 at the Home Run Derby was certainly memorable. The event’s first dozen years were marked by the Arndt family dynasty, with John winning five Golden Bats and son Nick claiming four. 

Somehow, Jonkman was able to reach a level of dominance that surpassed each Arndt. In his six-year run The Sheriff faced a different challenger in the finals each time, defeating some of Wiffle®Ball’s most prolific power hitters - Seth Campbell, Nate Arndt, Daivyn Davis, Wes Ellis, Scott Soos, and Garrett Curless.

Moment 18: Elephant Ear Scandal

July 29, 2006

2006 Runners-Up. The 4 Amigos

The WIFFLE version of the infamous Black Sox Scandal, the competitive integrity of the Championship was tested early in a 2006 pool play game that should have been unremarkable (in fact, the final score of the game is not on record). Sensing his own team’s futility and bleak chances to advance to Sunday’s playoff, Tyler Cox sold out his Great Balls of Fire teammates against The 4 Amigos. Making a deal with a 13-year old Drew Luther, Cox threw the game in exchange for a Colglazier’s Elephant Ear at Memorial Park.

The 4 Amigos would go on to a title game appearance, eventually falling to the Sultans of Swing at Migley. The memorable weekend kickstarted the Hall of Fame careers for Luther and his teammate Shane Anderson.

Moment 19: A "Funky" Title Game

July 25, 2010

With the commissioner needing to get to Wrigley Field to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Cubs-Cardinals game on Sunday Night Baseball, the 2010 Hometown Cup Finals broke from the traditional 1:20pm start time.

The early title game proved to be pretty “Funky” as the Schuster brothers squared off against each other. Randy, along with Sam Zucker and other Valparaiso University friends, reigned victorious over younger brother Joey and teammate Joel Cyrier.

The match-up brought legendary New Prairie football coach Bart Curtis back to New Carlisle. Coach joined the Migley Field Bleacher Bums to root on Joey, his Mishawaka quarterback at the time (or make sure he didn’t get hurt before the upcoming season).

Production of the Hometown Cup, which was commissioned for the 175th anniversary of New Carlisle’s founding, was delayed - and had to be presented to Zucker on his front porch weeks later.

Moment 20: Bad Boys Whip Beef Barn in Pool Play

July 25, 2020

Lucas about to face his dad, Brad.

“Oh, I am bringing a squad this year,” Brad Bradshaw will often boast of his Beef Barn team prior to The Championship each year. By the end of Saturday afternoon, that tune usually changes to “I don’t think we have the bodies for tomorrow,” as reality sets in that their miracle 2015 Sweet Sixteen run may have been a one-hit wonder.

In 2020, that reality check came from their kids. Making his Championship debut, 12-year old Lucas Bradshaw and his Bad Boys didn’t need a Junior Division to make a statement. With a few sons playing against their dads, the Bad Boys whipped up on Beef Barn, 11-2, sending several home runs over the fence at Bus Garage Memorial Stadium.

“No more late afternoon games for the Beef Barn,” Brad requested after the loss.

The entire Bradshaw Bunch has been an invaluable help in our effort to run the Championship year after year. They embody the best of what Hometown Days represents - community and family. If you have not done so already, please support the Bradshaw family and Luke’s recovery here.